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Upcoming in the 35th Season of An Appalachian Summer Festival’s Events

An Appalachian Summer Festival is showcasing an exciting lineup of the best in music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film programming this month. Celebrate the enjoyment and education found in all forms of art with the upcoming scheduled events. There are four upcoming events in the next week that you can’t miss, plus exhibitions at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. There truly is something for everyone at An Appalachian Summer Festival.

For more information about the following events or about An Appalachian Summer Festival, visit appsummer.org

Don’t miss these upcoming events:

July 12 – Pilobolus: Come to your senses

This performance is at 8 p.m. in the Schaefer Center.

Possessing a singular style that combines liquid acrobatics with shapeshifting, shadowplay and other explorations, Pilobolus breaks down barriers between disciplines and challenges the way we think about dance. Come to your senses invites audiences to engage with childlike wonder at a repertory featuring classic and brand-new works – “Symbiosis,” “Rushes,” “Gnomen,” “Branches” and “Untitled” – ranging from the silly to the surreal to the sublime. For 47 years, the modern dance company has tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies.

Named after a light-loving fungus, Pilobolus has been featured on Broadway, the Oscars and the Olympics and is lavishly praised by audiences and critics alike:

“Grace meets physical agility to create movement that is as lyrical as it is astonishing.” – The Sunday Oregonian
“There are other companies that take art to extremes, but Pilobolus proves once more that it does it best.” – Philadelphia Inquirer
“Although formed way back in 1971, Pilobolus still exudes an aura of freshness and often revolutionary concepts that other dance companies don’t even approach.” – Classical Voice of North Carolina

The festival is offering a free child’s ticket (for ages 17 and under) with the purchase of an adult ticket to Pilobolus. 

July 13 – Patti LaBelle

Multi Grammy Award-winning superstar singer and actress Patti LaBelle is widely regarded as the queen of rock and soul, known for performing music ranging from rhythm and blues renditions to spiritual ballads and everything in between. She has received acclaim for many of her songs, including “Lady Marmalade, “When You Talk About Love, “New Attitude” and the number one duet with Michael McDonald, “On My Own.”

Throughout her career, Patti LaBelle has been nominated for and received numerous awards, including: Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Perfomance and Best Traditional R&B Performance; NAACP Image Awards for Entertainer of the Year, Outstanding Performance and Outstanding Female Artist; Grammy Hall of Fame induction for “Lady Marmalade”; The BET Awards Lifetime Achievement Award and many more.

July 14 – Eastern Festival Orchestra featuring Awadagin Pratt

This performance is at 7 p.m. in the Schaefer Center.

Under the direction of Maestro Gerard Schwarz, the Eastern Festival Orchestra returns to Boone for an evening of symphonic music featuring soloists Awadagin Pratt, piano, and Morgan Short, first prize winner of the 2018 Rosen-Schaffel Competition for Young and Emerging Artists. 

July 14 Program: Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 by Ludwig van Beethoven, Suite from Ma mère L’Oye (Mother Goose) by Maurice Ravel, Danse sacrée and profane by Claude Debussy and La valse by Maurice Ravel

July 16 – Young People’s Global Film Series: Fanny’s Journey

This show is at 6 p.m. in the Schaefer Center (in French with English subtitles), and it is recommended for children ages 12+.

Based on a true story, Fanny’s Journey tells the compelling tale of a daring 13-year-old girl who will stop at nothing to save herself, her two sisters and a group of young Jewish children from the Nazis. In 1943, Fanny and her sisters are sent from their home in France to live in an Italian foster home for Jewish children. When the Nazis make their way to Italy, Fanny must lead the children to freedom in Switzerland. 

The film is not rated but contains some Nazi cruelty and threat of death. The film is directed by Lola Doillon and has a 94 minute running time.

Summer Exhibition Celebration

The Turchin Center’s Summer Exhibition Celebration, which paints a picture of artistic excellence at the festival through visual art programming, has several exhibitions, each of which will continue until December 7.

  • My Place or Yours? By Cara Hagan, Guest Curator
  • Refugee by Bill Brown

And don’t forget to mark your calendar for the Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Walk later this month!